In 1955, the IBM Executive School undertook research to identify the skills and knowledge that make great leaders, with a view to teaching these to IBM employees. The skills and knowledge of great leaders turned out to be extremely diverse. However, they were found to share some specific values and attitudes.
Some of the findings* were:
• Great leaders thrive on ambiguity. They are able to turn apparent contradictions and paradoxes into innovative ideas.
• Great leaders love blank sheets of paper. Rather than seeking “a plan that reduces their job to filling in the blanks”, leaders create the “blanks” that managers fill in. “Every great leader relishes the opportunity to ‘think things through’ from scratch”.
• Great leaders stick their necks out. Rather than avoiding individual accountability, “Great leaders want to be measured and evaluated”. They are willing to take risks and accept the blame when they are wrong or fail to deliver.
• Great leaders are deep thinkers. “Managers get things done. Executives must decide on the things that are worth doing in the first place….They know that the answers they are seeking will probably emerge from outside business and from disciplines that may seem utterly unrelated.”
These are all traits required for developing innovative competitive strategy:
• The world is complex. There are no simple answers, and innovative solutions are often counter-intuitive.
• A blank sheet of paper is the best starting point. Templates, or your existing strategy document, will confine your thinking.
• Developing a strategy is an exercise in creating the future. By definition, it should be a path not previously travelled. To suggest a new approach means taking the risk that others will judge you adversely.
• To produce original strategy requires moving beyond the obvious. Superficial thinking will only produce words, not meaningful differentiation.
The leader sets the tone for a strategy discussion. People look to the leader for clues about how to approach the exercise and how to behave in the discussion. If you're the leader, exercise leadership. If you're a facilitator, encourage the leader to exercise leadership. If you're neither, you can still exercise some leadership by demonstrating these traits.
* http://www.forbes.com/sites/augustturak/2012/03/02/10-leadership-lessons-from-the-ibm-executive-school/
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